Can You Freeze Pâté?

Updated onJuly 25, 2017

Pâté is a French and/or Belgian delicacy made with liver (usually duck or chicken), onions, and spices that are blended together to create a smooth, spreadable paste. This delicacy is often served with bread and is best enjoyed slightly chilled. If you love this savory spread to a point that you hoarded a lot of it, can you freeze pâté? Yes, pâté can be frozen and enjoyed for later consumption.

The fact is, pâté – especially when made from scratch – has a short shelf life. It’s the reason why store-bought ones are kept in small bottles. When kept in the fridge, pâté will stay fresh for only 7 to 8 days. One way to tell if pâté has gone bad is if it starts breaking down or secreting a rancid liquid.

When kept in the freezer, you can stretch the shelf life of pâté to 3 months or more. That being said, pâté is best consumed immediately for optimal flavor. The spread has a high-fat content, which means flavor change is likely when kept in the freezer for too long. If you have more pâté than you can handle, here is a step by step guide on how can you freeze pâté:

How Can You Freeze Pâté?

The delicate nature of pâté means packing it in single serving portions is a must if the spread is homemade. This way, you don’t have to defrost the whole jar of pâté when you only need a couple of tablespoons of the stuff.

One way to divide a large batch of pâté into single serving portions is to use a silicone mold or even an ice cube tray. With a clean spoon, spoon the pâté into each section of the mold. Use the back of the spoon to level the pâté. Stick the product in the freezer and give it an hour or two to freeze.

Once the pâté is frozen solid, take the mold or ice tray out, pop each pâté portion and cover each one in wax paper. Make sure each pâté portion is covered completely to prevent freezer burn during storage! After covering individual portions of pâté in wax paper, get a resealable plastic bag and place the whole lot inside. Squeeze as much air as you can before sealing the bag. Get a marker and write the storage date then stick in the freezer.

How to Defrost Frozen Pâté?

There are two ways to freeze pâté. One way to thaw pâté is to transfer the frozen portion from the freezer to the fridge. Leave the pâté to thaw overnight and it’s ready to be eaten. However, if the pâté has a high amount of butter, you can also thaw the pâté at room temperature.

Another way to defrost frozen pâté is to place the portion inside a small, resealable plastic bag, sealing the bag and then submerging the whole thing in a bowl of tap water. Leave the pâté to thaw for an hour or two then it’s ready to be eaten.

The rich, indulgent flavor of pâté is so sought after, which is why this spreadable paste has surged in popularity outside of its native Europe. Now that you now how can you freeze pâté, why not treat yourself, buy a little more to share and then freeze the leftovers for future use?